West Richmond Preschool

I’ve noticed many of the children race to the art/material table after the morning welcome circle, and I wonder what attracts them to this space. Could it be the inviting materials? Or maybe because, having just experienced self-expression during circle time, the children need to expand and illustrate their thoughts and ideas further? Drawing is known as the “silent language.” When children begin to draw and paint, they begin an intellectual journey. Drawing also symbolizes what children know and feel, and is essential for those who have limited verbal skills. Cognitively, drawing provides children with rich ways of thinking, knowing and expressing their worlds. It affectively visualizes emotions a child may not be ready to verbally express. Drawing is a key component to a child’s development in the early years.         Jack is making some scribbles. This allows Jack to enjoy and express emotions with the many colors he uses.   Sofie draws a picture of her mom with m

For Mother's Day the 4 hour class invited our mom's to join us for tea, treats, and a trip to the spa! We prepared by making signs for the spa. We decided to call our spa "Awesome Heart Spa" When our moms arrived we greeted them and they got to choose to  get a massage, have their hair or nails done, or to get a tattoo. After the spa alot of us sat down to read books and some spontaneous dancing broke out! We did a short presentation to the song  "A" You're Adorable We can't show the video on the blog because it shows our faces, but You can watch a silly animated version of the song here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tAprz_76KM Then we served tea and treats to our moms and sang some songs. A big thank you to all our moms for everything they do! We love our moms!! You can check out our board for more pictures

How does your garden grow? The children have been exploring bulbs and seeds. They decided to plant Iris bulbs several weeks ago and are excited about the developing shoots poking through the soil, the leaves and, this week, the signs of a flower emerging. How exciting for all of us! The children have developed a love of seeds and soil. We have explored the soil, roots and seeds of different plants. The dandelions are in full bloom around the playground. Many bouquets adorn  the classroom. The children have also noticed flowers turn to seed and blow away, starting new plants. We started to examine the flower and what’s inside.  All of the children were thoroughly engaged throughout this process. A tulip was also available for them to explore and touch. They noticed how delicate and soft the petals were.    The children wanted a closer look and a magnifying glass was provided for them. All this led to more exploration of seeds. Scarlett Runner seeds are not on

Recently, the preschool threes class spent a wonderful morning at the Richmond Nature Park. They used all their senses while exploring the ever-evolving environment of the peat bog, and learning about the springtime happenings at the park. They touched and smelt, listened and tasted. It was a very fun, enjoyable, hands-on learning experience for all the children.   The children were shown a humming bird egg in its nest.  "It's so small. It looks like a jelly bean." (Claire)      Each child was given a dropper. They pretended to be bees collecting nectar from flowers, and bringing it back to the bee hive. There was a lot of happy buzzing sounds during this activity.  "I don't want a bee in my sandwich." (Marcus) Off we go to explore the park. "If we go any further, my mommy won't be able to find me." (Tia)    The children looking at the turtles in the pond. "I don't see the turtle...oh there it